Crypto: SBF Officially Requests Presidential Pardon from Trump

The fallen founder of FTX Sam Bankman-Fried is serving 25 years in prison for one of the biggest frauds in crypto history. Yet, he just knocked on Donald Trump’s door. On June 8, 2026, SBF formally submitted a presidential pardon request to the U.S. Department of Justice Pardon Attorney’s Office. The crypto market’s reaction was immediate!

SBF’s bold plan to regain freedom

SBF’s request is listed as a “pardon after completion of sentence”. It is now listed as pending in the DOJ records. Specifically, this designation would not allow early release of the crypto exchange founder FTX. It would only aim to restore certain civil rights once the sentence is fully served.

To justify this clemency request to President Donald Trump, SBF’s defense highlights arguments centered on damage repair. According to the filed documents, the lawyers claim that FTX’s bankruptcy ultimately did not cause permanent financial losses. Especially since creditors have been fully reimbursed thanks to asset liquidation and the crypto market rise.

That’s not all! Bankman-Fried’s parents also highlight his exemplary behavior in detention and efforts to teach finance to his fellow inmates.

Will Donald Trump pardon the former crypto king?

SBF’s request joins over 20,000 cases reviewed by U.S. authorities. The final decision now rests entirely in Donald Trump’s hands.

During his campaign, the U.S. president positioned himself as a staunch supporter of the crypto industry. Proof: he has already granted over 1,400 pardons and commutations during his second term:

• a full pardon for Changpeng Zhao aka CZ, former head of Binance, in October 2025;
• the same for BitMEX co-founders.

SBF’s case, however, carries an entirely heavier political charge. The fact is that granting his pardon to one of the most unpopular figures in the crypto sector remains an extremely risky political gamble.

For his part, Trump seems to have already closed the door. In January, he told the New York Times he had no intention of pardoning Bankman-Fried. The White House refused any further comment, simply referring to that statement.

Meanwhile, FTT, the native token of the crypto platform FTX, surged about 50% intraday on the announcement of the request. On Polymarket, the odds of a pardon rose to 20-35%.

This highly publicized move thus puts FTX back in the spotlight. For crypto investors, the outcome of this request will serve as a crucial test to gauge the new U.S. administration’s tolerance toward financial abuses in the Web3 era.